Everyone knows that the climate catastrophe the world is facing is a real and present danger. And everyone can rely on the science of climate change to alert us to what is happening now and warn us about what might happen next.
For decades, scientists have been sounding alarm bells and warning that the world was warming, but governments, businesses and individuals have either refused to listen or did not know what they were hearing.
In just a few weeks, world leaders will gather for the COP26 UN Climate Conference in Scotland, where they will try to agree on a plan to reduce emissions and prevent catastrophic temperature rises.
Between now and then, the In The News podcast will be dedicating one episode each week to the climate crisis.
Today’s episode traces the origins of the climate crisis: where it went wrong and what can be learned from the failure to do anything until now, when it is almost too late.
Alice Bell, co-director at the climate change charity Possible and author of Our Biggest Experiment: A History of the Climate Crisis, talks to Conor Pope about what has happened, and what might have happened.
In the News is presented by reporters Sorcha Pollak and Conor Pope.
You can listen to the podcast here: